For everyone who remembers when MTV used to play music videos, the news that the cable channel had removed the phrase "Music Television" from its logo only made its long metamorphosis into a reality-tv channel official. TIME takes a look at some of the best moments in MTV history.

Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” Premieres

It’s consistently referred to as the greatest music video of all time, and it premiered when MTV was just two years old. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” made its debut on MTV at midnight on December 2, 1983, and cost $500,000 to make — an astronomical figure at the time. The demand to see the 14-minute video was so high that MTV played it twice every hour. “Thriller” was more than just a music video, though — it was truly a mini-movie, and was once screened alongside Disney’s Fantasia to qualify it for the Oscars. Throughout his career, Jackson used the music video medium to his advantage, and it’s hard to imagine songs like “Billie Jean” or “Black or White” without the high-gloss, high-budget dance sequences that went along with them. Music videos helped Jackson reach the height of his fame, and Jackson helped MTV come of age.